Thad Beaumont is tired of writing trashy pulp novels under the pseudonym “George Stark” in order to make a living. Yearning to focus solely on scribing the intellectually stimulating literature he enjoys, Thad decides to – literally – bury his alter ego in a figurative attempt to finally break free of lucrative lowbrow temptations. However, George isn’t prepared to be laid to rest and miraculously resurrects himself out of Thad’s subconscious, fully transforming into a flesh-and-blood double and going on a grisly murder spree straight out of one of his own novels. With the police convinced that Thad is behind the series of bizarre killings, he is forced to confront his inner demons and determine where the real Thad ends and the “real” George begins in an attempt to put an end to George Stark’s rampage.

Based on the thrilling novel by Stephen King (Carrie, The Shining) and directed by horror legend George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead), THE DARK HALF is a tense examination of the violent and destructive nature of the creative process. Starring Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People), Academy Award® nominee Amy Madigan (Twice in a Lifetime, Field of Dreams), and Academy Award© nominee Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding, The Haunting), Vinegar Syndrome is proud to bring THE DARK HALF to 4K UHD, in a brand new cinematographer-approved restoration of its 35mm camera negative and featuring a comprehensive selection of new and archival extras, including never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.

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Video Quality

Vinegar Syndrome presents The Dark Half with a stellar 2160p transfer in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio sourced from a new 4K restoration of the Original Camera Negative with Dolby Vision/HDR. This film was originally released on Blu-Ray by Scream Factory in 2014 which was derived from an older master. While we have never seen that release, we understand that it was a nice enough transfer for the time. That being said, technology can advance a lot in a decade, and this presentation is quite a treat. The sumptuous natural film grain has been retained which brings out a world of unique textures in the environments, the clothing, the goopy special effects, and more. This grain resolves evenly with nothing ever appearing clumpy or swarming throughout the bright daytime or stark nighttime scenes. This disc nails every environmental shakeup with precision.

The special effects are not nearly as dated as some movies from the era, so everything blends together pretty well. There is a ton of detail in terms of practical gross-out elements and key pieces of production design such as pages with writing on them. This transfer has done a commendable job of eradicating any print damage with nearly nothing in the way of specks or dirt remaining. Dolby Vision is another robust aspect of the disc that brings out a world of depth and nuance even in the most unsparing shadows. The new presentation reaches a level of precision and color detail that likely improves upon the original run in theaters. Black levels are favorable with no blatant crush present, and the highlights remain firm and never get too bright. This is topped off by a terrific encode that does not suffer any dips in quality. George A. Romero fans will be stoked to own this one in the finest quality.

Audio Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio stereo track and a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio surround sound track, each of which brings this story to life perfectly. The original stereo track is the way to go for purists, and it sounds a bit more robust than the surround sound track. The Christopher Young score sounds excellent without a hint of damage or weakness. It establishes the appropriate tone that guides you through the narrative. Environmental noises, such as the weather effects or the sounds of furniture breaking, come through with impeccable quality. Dialogue comes through with perfect clarity even during the more bustling developments. The fidelity of the movie is in top form no matter the sonic demands. The low end of the track provides some texture, but it does not get too invasive even in the 5.1 track. Vinegar Syndrome provided a top-notch audio experience for this one. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director George A. Romero provides an archival commentary track hosted by Stuart Feedback Andrews of Cinephobia Radio in which he discusses the production of the film, the shooting locations, working with the performers, the special effects, technical aspects of the production, the cinematography and so much more that is an absolute delight to delve into for fans.

My Roots With Romero – Interview with First Assistant Director Nick Mastandrea: A new 12-minute interview with the first assistant director in which he discusses forming a relationship with George A Romero, getting involved with the movie, his responsibilities on set, what he learned from the master, his path through the movie business, and more.

A Merchant Ivory Cameraman In Pittsburgh – Interview with Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts: A new ten-minute interview with the cinematographer in which he discusses developing his craft, attempting to expand beyond his Merchant Ivory roots, his relationship with Romero, developing the look of the film, how they achieved the shots with the birds, and more.

Shadows Of The Past – Locating The Dark Half: A new five-minute featurette that takes a look at the Pittsburgh shooting locations through a modern lens.

George Romero and the City of the Living Dead: A ten-minute excerpt from a documentary produced for PBS in 1991 that gives a glimpse at the production of The Dark Half while exploring the inextricable link between Romero and Pittsburgh.

The Sparrows Are Flying Again: A 37-minute documentary created for the 2014 Scream Factory release featuring interviews with writer/director George A. Romero, special make-up effects creators Everett Burrell and John Vulich, visual effects supervisor Kevin Kutchaver, actor Robert Joy, editor Pasquale Buba, and more that is very illuminating.

EPK Making-Of Featurette: A seven-minute archival piece that takes a broad look at the production of the film with on-set footage.

EPK Interviews: A seven-minute collection of archival promotional interviews with the performers and George A. Romero.

Behind-The-Scenes Footage: A nearly 25-minute fly-on-the-wall look at the production of the film.

Deleted Scenes: An eight-minute collection of unused footage is provided in a very rough form.

Storyboards (1:13)

Image Gallery (2:25)

TV Spot (0:40)

Trailer (1:42)

Final Thoughts

The Dark Half is neither a high point in the filmography of George A. Romero nor Stephen King adaptations, yet there is still quite a bit to value about this supernatural horror outing. Romero does an effective job of building up the paranoia the protagonist is feeling from being wrongfully accused of misdeeds, and the chaos of such actions is suitably brutal. The movie feels a bit sluggish due to the unnecessarily prolonged runtime, but the ideas are executed well enough to serve as welcome entertainment. Vinegar Syndrome has provided this one with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release that boasts a tremendous A/V presentation and a top-tier array of special features. This new presentation is the ideal way to experience this one. Recommended

The Dark Half is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD + Blu-Ray Combo Pack.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Vinegar Syndrome has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.